With respect to silver halide color photographic materials (hereinafter referred to as color photographic materials), reduction of processing waste liquid is strongly desired in view of environmental conservation. In regard to this, in recent years, although it has been promoted to lessen the replenishing amount of processing solutions, when the replenishing amount of a processing solution is lessened, the detention time of the processing solution in the processing bath becomes longer, which makes the processing solution susceptible to air oxidation or the like. This results in various adverse influences on the photographic performance of the color photographic material. It has been found that, for example, the processed color photographic material becomes contaminated with oxidation products of the processing solution, thereby bringing about so-called stain, or the washing-out of the undesired processing composition becomes poor, thereby making sticking preventing property of the color photographic material liable to be deteriorated during storage. Particularly, in addition to processing with a color developer at a low replenishment rate, if the desilvering process is carried out with a low replenishment rate or if a regeneration process is involved, it has been found that the above influences on the photographic performance constitute a significant problem.
In connection with this, in view of an improvement in sticking preventing property of color photographic materials, JP-A ("JP-A" means unexamined published Japanese patent application) No. 280248/1988 discloses to limit the degree of swelling (usually being in a range from 2 to 5) of color photographic materials and the condition of water washing step. It has been found, however, that when the replenishing amount of a color developer is small (i.e., 100 ml or less), if the desilvering process is carried out with the replenishing amount decreased or if a regeneration process is involved, not only can satisfactory prevention of sticking not be effected, but also a problem of stain due to contamination after processing arises.
In the present invention, the term "stain" due to contamination is stain occurred by adhesion to or taking into the film of the color photographic material from the processing solution, including stain formed in the unexposed white background of the color photographic material as well as that formed throughout in the dye image part. Thus, stain lowers the whiteness and also contaminates the formed color, thereby deteriorating the color reproduction.
On the other hand, techniques wherein various polymers are added to color developers have long been known. For example, JP-B ("JP-B" means examined Japanese patent publication) Nos. 41676/1971 and 21250/1975 disclose techniques wherein celluloses are added, JP-B No. 20743/1972 discloses a technique wherein pyrrolidones are added, and JP-B No. 16179/1983 discloses a technique wherein polymers are added. These are intended mainly to prevent a developing agent from depositing and do not disclose the effect of the present invention, and even if the above compounds are simply added the prevention of stain and sticking cannot be attained satisfactorily.
Techniques wherein surface-active agents are added to a color developer are disclosed in JP-A Nos. 234161/1987 and 42155/1987. However, the surface-active agents disclosed in the former are not satisfactory to attain the object of the present invention, while the latter neither refer to solving the problem addressed by the present invention, nor the effect of the system of the latter is satisfactory to solve the problems. Further, although Research Disclosure No. 16986 discloses a technique wherein by adding a nonionic surface-active agent the washing-out of a sensitizing dye is facilitated, thereby reducing the residual color.